VK 16.02 "Leopard"
VK 16.02 "Leopard" In January 1941, there was an application to replace the PzKpfw II family by a medium or heavy reconnaissance vehicle. In March of 1942, both MIAG and Daimler-Benz had a contract for the production of this tank. The VK 16.02 would eventually have the hull built by MIAG and a tower built by Daimler-Benz. Both parts were ready for production in October 1942. The main goal was to develop the same chassis like the Tiger and Panther tanks with overlapping wheels, so the ride was more smooth (even though it created a lot of disadvantages). Two versions of this tank were proposed. The Leopard (leicht) was a light armored fast version which weighted 18 tons. And the Leopard (schwer) was a heavier armored version which weighed 26 tons. The 18 tonner was soon cancelled after enormous interest in the 26 tonner. The VK 16.02 got the nickname "Leopard" based on the development of previous projects, such as the PzKpfw II Ausf J (VK 1601) and the PzKpfw II Ausf M (VK 1301). The hull was similar with those of the PzKpfw II Ausf J (VK 1601), but was largely influenced by the Panther tank, which was still in development at that time. The armament consists of a 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 also used ingame on the Pzkpfw III Ausf. J¹, Pzkpfw III Ausf L, Pzkpfw III Ausf M, the cancelled Pz.Sfl. Ic and the SdKfz 234/2 "Puma", and was also to be used separately as a fortification gun in fortresses and pillboxes. Just like the VK 16.02 (MAN), which was basically the same design (with some differences), the Leopard had angled armor of 80 mm at the front, 60mm at the sides, and 50 mm at the rear. Also, because of its sharper angle of armor, the Leopard better defends itself against penetration. With the combination of mobility and armor, the vehicle could defend itself and fight while exploring. However, we doubt herein due to the use of the 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 which now proved unfit against the new Russian tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1. The engine was a 550hp heavy Maybach HL157P which allowed the Leopard to reach a maximum speed of 50 to 60 km/h. The "Panzer Programm 41" ordered 339 vehicles in the late 1943 and 1944, but production was cancelled because the tank was "outdated" against the Russian tanks. Also there was more interest in medium tanks like the Panther. Ausf. G The Ausf. G was a fictional tank and its an own creation by FHSWman based on the update progress of the Panther tank. Thus the peep-hole not provided in the hull and a ball mount in the glacis plate with a K.Z.F.2 machine gun sight was installed for the hull machine gun. Other modifications that were provided by FHSWman are the provision of a better ventilation and another outlet. BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-28-31.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-30-79.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-35-62.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-45-29.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-50-49.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-58-82.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-28-12-58.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-28-20-74.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-27-06-44.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-26-18-51.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-26-41-34.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-30-45-56.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-30-49-20.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-30-56-62.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-31-00-70.jpg BF1942 2014-08-13 19-25-48-78.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 19-10-15-25.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 19-10-43-70.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 19-10-57-10.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 19-12-23-32.jpg Ausf. F Like the Ausf. G, the Ausf. F was a fictional tank also conceived by FHSWman. His idea was to update the VK 16.02 "Leopard" like the Germans did with the Panther. The difference between the Ausf. G and Ausf. F was the new turret, which is bigger and contains a 75mm gun. Also, the application of the Zeiss stereoscopic range finder. BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-21-52.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-24-50.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-27-74.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-37-95.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-49-46.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-58-16.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-23-53-33.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-29-23-51.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-28-57-83.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-29-11-72.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-22-47-14.jpg BF1942 2014-11-15 12-05-14-46.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-05-17-58.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-05-20-96.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-05-24-82.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-05-29-38.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-05-34-35.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-09-14-89.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-09-17-17.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-09-19-95.png BF1942 2014-11-15 12-09-23-36.png Leopard II Like the Ausf. G and the Ausf. F, the Leopard II variant was a fictional tank conceived, again, by FHSWman. His idea was to update the VK 16.02 "Leopard" like the Germans did with the Panther. There are few differences between the Ausf. F and the Leopard II. They both have the same design. The only difference between the two are the roadwheels. The Leopard II have less roadwheels (from seven to six) but the roadwheels from the Leopard II are bigger. BF1942 2014-08-14 22-03-44-73.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-03-51-88.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-03-58-64.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-04-06-63.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-04-19-80.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-03-35-80.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-03-07-56.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-03-27-52.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-05-30-73.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-05-33-81.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-05-48-89.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-05-37-16.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-07-42-85.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-30-57-00.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-30-54-25.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-31-00-37.jpg BF1942 2014-08-14 22-31-04-12.jpg